Mary and Jeff Bell Library

William H. Parker Photograph Collection

The Parker Collection consists of photographs of Corpus Christi taken by local resident William H. Parker primarily during the 1950s and 1960s. These images show some of city's major features during that important time in its history.

Born in 1928 and raised in Barlow, Kentucky, William H. Parker `graduated from high school in 1946. He attended the Woodard School of Photography in Memphis, Tennessee, 1947-1948. He worked as a professional photographer in Cincinnati, Ohio during the late 1940s, where he did portraits as well as commercial subjects. From 1950-1954, Parker served in the United States Air Force and was in top secret aerial photography during the Korean Conflict. While stationed in San Antonio, Texas, he first visited Corpus Christi.

Seeking opportunity and a warmer climate, Parker moved to Corpus Christi in 1955. He worked in the camera department in Lichtenstein's department store and later managed Seitter's Camera Center for approximately ten years. Thereafter, he worked for twenty-three years at B.L. Guess Lighting Company until his retirement in 1990.

William Parker remained an avid photographer his entire life, showing in competitive salon exhibits in museums and art galleries around the country.Most important for Corpus Christi history he took outstanding photographs of the local area from the time he first arrived in the mid 1950s.

In 1999, Parker generously donated a collection of several hundred color slides as well as black and white negatives to the Special Collections & Archives Department. Remarkable for their artistic quality as well as their intellectual content, one hundred of these slides are shown below. These images, originally in fragile 35 mm slide format, are thus readily accessible to researchers and other students of Corpus Christi history through digital technology. Also shown below are ten of Parker's select black and white prints from the original negatives.

The Parker Collection covers a range of local topics including construction of the Harbor Bridge, the Bascule Bridge, the Port of Corpus Christi, Padre Island, the shipping and oil industries, the Wesley Seale Dam, the Corpus Christi Bayfront and Marina, North Beach, downtown Corpus Christi and its development, and related subjects. The remarkable images shown below come primarily from the 1950s and early 1960s, a significant time in Corpus Christi's emergence as a modern city.

Permission to use any of these photographs must be obtained from the Special Collections & Archives Department, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Library. Any use is prohibited without prior permission. These images will be provided at the resolution requested by the patron.

The full credit line should read: William H. Parker Collection, Special Collections & Archives, Mary and Jeff Bell Library, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Parker Photographs

126-1 shows the Bascule Bridge, during its final years of operation, ca. late 1950s.

126-1

126-2 shows the Bascule Bridge in the lift position, ca. late 1950s.

126-2

126-3 shows the Port of Corpus Christi with refineries and other industries in the background, ca. 1950s.

126-3

126-4 shows the Port of Corpus Christi with refineries, cranes, and other industries in the background, ca. 1950s.

126-11 shows a portion of downtown Corpus Christi. The Memorial Coliseum, residences, and Corpus Christi Bay can be seen in the background, ca. 1950s.

126-11

126-12 shows a portion of downtown Corpus Christi area including the construction of a building and residences. The Port of Corpus Christi and other industries can be seen in the background, ca. 1950s.

126-22 shows the entrance to the Port of Corpus Christi, taken from the newly constructed Harbor Bridge. It also shows a portion of the Harbor Bridge construction and downtown Corpus Christi in the background, ca. 1959.

126-22

126-23 shows a portion of downtown Corpus Christi looking south. Corpus Christi Bay can be seen in the background, ca. 1950s.

126-23

126-24 shows a dredge in the channel of the Port of Corpus Christi facing Corpus Christi Bay with the breakwaters in the background, ca. 1950s.

126-24

126-25 shows the Harbor Bridge under construction with downtown Corpus Christi in the background, ca. late 1950s.

126-25

126-26 shows a portion of the Harbor Bridge with the Bascule Bridge in the lift position as a tugboat enters the Port of Corpus Christi, ca. 1959.

126-26

126-27 shows the Harbor Bridge under construction, with a cement truck and several construction workers on the Harbor Bridge, ca. late 1950s.

126-27

126-28 shows ships along the dock area of the Port of Corpus Christi, ca. 1950s.

126-28

126-29 shows an overhead view of vehicles passing over the Bascule Bridge, ca. late 1950s.